Events & Traditions
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Community
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If you ask any parent, student, or employee the one word that best describes their Berkeley Hall experience, you will most likely hear “community” or “family.” Our unique events and traditions at Berkeley Hall help bring us together and make us all feel connected.
These traditions have grown over the last 110 plus years and encourage a sense of belonging to something meaningful and rewarding. Each year, our BHS families look forward to special all-school events that build lasting bonds and create happy memories like the Bobcat Family Camp Out, the Gala, the Variety Show, and the Spring Family event.
Other annual events and traditions include: Grandparents’ and Special Friends Day, Halloween activities, the 100th Day Celebration, the Sugar Plum Holiday Program, the class performances, the Shield Dance, and the Graduation Class Shield Presentation.
A Spirit of Volunteerism
Volunteering is a way of life at Berkeley Hall. Parents get deeply involved with the school and with each other, and many describe Berkeley Hall as extended family.
Each school department (Preschool, Elementary, and Middle School) has unique traditions which are age-appropriate and give the students something to look forward to as they move up from grade to grade. Planning and producing special events offers parents an opportunity to get to know the greater Berkeley Hall community and strengthen that sense of community for future generations.
Seven Decades of Tradition: Class Shields
The graduating Class Shield is a long-standing tradition at Berkeley Hall that started in 1944. The shield elective enlists eighth-graders to design and build a class coat of arms with an original motto. Students use a variety of skills including 3D design, woodworking, art, engineering, teamwork, and professional presentation skills to create a lasting expression of their Berkeley Hall experience.
The Shield is designed to represent the class motto and spirit, and is first unveiled to the Middle School and 8th grade parents at the Shield Dance, and then to the whole community at the Shield Reveal assembly. The finished shield joins its predecessors on the walls of Berkeley Hall’s Hodges Theater at the Uhlman Performing Arts Center.
Learn more about Berkeley Hall history here.
The Sugar Plum Program
Each year since 1939, trees are decorated with "plums" (small colorful sacks full of gifts) for the 1st-3rd grade students. The trees are unveiled at a special holiday performance.
Parent volunteers get together the afternoon before the Sugar Plum Program to make the plums and decorate the trees. On the following Friday morning, when children see the lit and decorated trees for the first time there is a sense of magic. The Uhlman Center of Performing Arts comes to life with the students' joyful songs that draw from a variety of cultural and religious traditions. It’s an unforgettable way to celebrate the holiday season at Berkeley Hall.
Learn more about our Performing Arts program here.
Located in Los Angeles, CA, Berkeley Hall School is a private, coeducational school for students in preschool through grade 8. Rigorous academics in a supportive atmosphere and grounded character development allow students to become fearless scholars and conscientious citizens - gain a love of learning, leadership with social responsibility, creativity with moral integrity, and self-esteem with compassion for others and the environment.